


Lovely Baby

by Demitria_Teague



Series: Lovely Baby Verse [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adult Language -sometimes, Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Blogging, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Cultural exchange, Drama, Drama & Romance, Drunk Sex, EXO FOC, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Language Barrier, Male-Female Friendship, Post-EXO, Reality TV, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sex, Slice of Life, Smut, Top Huang ZiTao, female oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-16 15:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5830630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demitria_Teague/pseuds/Demitria_Teague
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>--For Romantic Comedy - Lovely Baby is more than just your typical Reality Show.  It's about Intercultural exchange, and instead of a group of people, it'll only be two sharing a house.<br/>--For it's participants - Cpop solo artist, Huang ZiTao and American Blogger, Melina Tierney, the show offers different opportunities.  For ZiTao it's to better his English and gain new fans, and for Melina a chance to gain direction in her life.  While their day to day life is recorded for the world to see, they are daunted by a list of issues.<br/>--Most importantly, they have to develop a relationship with the presence of a language barrier.  ZiTao has lyrical writers block and Melina struggles with being in a foreign country without knowing the language.  On top of that, Management has ways of growing her reputation in order to acceptably promote the show.<br/>--They are also polar opposites, but learn it may not be a bad thing.  When it looks like they're on a good note stress begins to take it's toll.  Will it draw them closer together (and allow them to succeed) or force them apart (and destroy the opportunities they're counting on)?  Find out in the Intercultural Exchange Reality Show - Lovely Baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And so it begins...

** **

 

**1**

**And so it begins...**

**:/**

  
    "Tao you're looking a little under the weather today.  Are you feeling ok?"  
    The ice in his water glass clinked as he sat it down.  Concealer didn't hide puffy eyes.  He resisted rubbing them and sat up straight.  Tiredly, he said, "It's not that.  I didn't sleep well."  
    "Oh, are you still having the same problem?"  
    "Yes.  But this time I just...  I went to a party last night.  It should have been enjoyable.  I looked around, everyone was having a good time, and... I just couldn't."    
    Jie Liang was a Chinese contact he'd made while he'd still been in Korea.  He'd worked with the Production Team on a music video he'd been in.  It was him that'd initiated contact after he'd returned home and Tao's company occasionally hired him as a Directive Consultant.  They'd since developed a close friendship.  "I'm sorry to hear that.  It's the reason I called you," Liang said.    
    "Oh.  What is it?"    
    "You've mentioned more than once how you'd like to better your English.  And the company I'm currently working for produces shows that usually gain high ratings.  I think it'd be a good thing for you to participate in.  You're status is still growing and this would be an excellent way for you to put yourself out there.  Allow a larger audience to see the real you, the current you."  
    A young woman walking a dog on a pink leash passed by their table.  "So, exactly what are you offering me?  To... be on a show, you said that.  What kind of show?"  
    "A Reality Show."    
    "I'm too tired for this," he mumbled.  Pressing his fingers to his closed eyes he said, "What kind of Reality Show and what does it have to do with learning English?"  He heard the sound of a folder being slid towards him.  Reluctantly, he looked at it.  The back and spine were dark blue and the face a thick plastic.    
    He opened it.  A painfully bright yellow and red logo blared the title, Lovely Baby.  Two side by side faceless figures were in the middle.  He quickly went to the second page.  "Lovely Baby.  International Cultural Exchange," he read aloud.  "Isn't that a little redundant?"    
    "What do you mean?"  
    "Cultural Exchange generally indicates International, so technically it's unnecessary to use both."    
    Liang gave a little laugh and said, "You really are in a bad mood today, aren't you?"  
    He allowed his face to remain expressionless, which furthered his amusement.    
    "It's alright.  There's no rush.  It's still under development and it'll be at least four months before preparation begins.  Take this home, read over it... after you get some decent sleep, and then give me a call.  We'll meet again and discuss this further."  
    His tired body barely registered the relief he felt.  "That...  I'll do that."  He managed a small smile.    
    The current place he called home was a detached, single floor apartment.  He heard the crunch of gravel as he eased his way up the small driveway.  The outside garage was attached to the side next to the door.  He'd yet to decide rather it's placement was convenient or annoying.  One of the enjoyable things about this place was the dark yellow and red brick.    
    It gave a quality feel as apposed to the typical combination of bright red brick.  They were rough against his fingers as he touched them in passing.  He unlocked the door and closed it behind him.  His keys chinged loudly when he dropped them on the counter.  Fresh Laundry, bold honey hand soap, and sharp citrus from a bowl of oranges - the scent of home - invaded his senses, and he took a moment to absorb it.  
    As he headed for the shower he dropped Liang's folder on the table.  The loud smack sound it made barely registered.  If he didn't go to bed soon he was going to fall asleep on his feet.  Feeling refreshed was one of those beautiful things in life.  A hot shower never failed to ease his aching head and tense muscles though.    
    No matter how bad he felt he always forced himself to get one before he laid down.  Not to mention he wanted to wash the concealer off of his face.  As an Idol it was important to have healthy skin.  His bathroom had a tub large enough to accommodate his long legs and he used it more than the shower.  This time he needed the shower.    
    If he used the tub he'd most likely fall asleep a minute in.  Wet hair, wash it, clean body, don't forget bottom of feet, wash face, get out, dry self.  His mind repeated these things back to him as he checked each one off of the list.  If he didn't do the same thing each time his mind wouldn't be functioning enough to allow him to bath at all.  A pair of boxers were his choice of sleeping clothes and like he knew he would, he felt refreshed when he lay down.    
    Exhaustion out-weighed life issues and he dropped like a stone in to sleep.

**:/**

    Melina leaned closer to the mirror and ran clear gloss over her bottom lip.  Mai's reflection peeked around hers.  She rolled her eyes and said, "What do you want?"  
    She clutched her hands over her heart and said, "You look so pretty for work."    
    Oh, the graces of having a roommate.  They met in eleventh grade and had somehow managed to grow close, and here they were, seven years later.  "Leave me alone.  I'm getting ready for work."    
    "But you rarely dress up.  Special occasion?"  She gasped.  "Boyfriend perhaps?"    
    "It's not that I don't appreciate Chinese accents, but yours is annoying."    
    She gasped.  "See if I ever bake you cake again."  
    Rubbing her lips together she had a flash of the last dessert she'd baked.  "If I remember correctly, and I do, you've never baked a cake.  You mostly buy cupcakes and the few times you've baked them they were either burned, extra burned, or were gookey because they weren't done."  She tilted her head.  "Although, that last one wasn't so bad."  
    "Tasted like cake mix."  She finished her lip gloss and slid the tube in her pocket.  
    Mai put an arm over her shoulder and said, "So, why you so dressed up?"  
    Melina sighed.  "You never give up do you?"  
    "Nope."  And that particular response was one she'd picked up from her.  
    She made a face at her reflection.  "I hate Khaki's.  They're so ugly.  And why in all that's good did the owners insist that it's employees wear not just black, but black collared shirts in the middle of Summer?"    
    "Me don't like collared either."  
    There was a loud Ting sound and Melina frowned.  She turned around and waited for it to happen again.  When it didn't she said, "What the hell was that?"  
    "Oh, notification.  My computer," Mai said excitedly.    
    "That was freaking loud.  How come I've never heard it before?"  
    She hurried in to the kitchen table and her chair scraped the floor as she scooted it forward.  She said, "You either at work or in your room... or I'm in my room."  
   Whatever, she thought.  She turned back to the mirror and studied her straightened hair.  Unlike her blonde haired mom, sister, and brother, she had light brown hair.  She inherited it from her grandmother - her moms mom - and that wasn't all.  She also had her face.    
    A younger version of course, but they could be mistaken for mother and daughter.  She also had the shape of her teeth, which had a slight overbite, and her body shape.  Just enough plump to neither be fat nor skinny.  It was a weird mix and couldn't even be defined as pleasantly plump.  It was something she preferred not to think about.    
    Maybe she could call it curvy?    
    Whatever.  She roughly pulled it up and secured it with the lime green scrunchy she always kept on her wrist.  Her blue eyes popped from the minimal amount of liner she'd put on.  Mascara was an old enemy because it always caked off into her eyes.  She couldn't count the times she rubbed her eyes raw trying to get it out, which is why she didn't wear it often - including now.  
    There was the sound of clacking keys and Mai said, "I follow certain Idols and there's mention of a new reality show coming out in China.  I can't wait to find out who they're having on it.  It mentions cultural exchange.  I may enter... although, I don't think they pick me.  Even if I mostly grew up in America."  
    "Well, you just do that then.  I'm leaving."  She adjusted her shirts collar, sighed and pushed the screen door open.  "See you tonight."  
    "Kay, see you then."  
    She nodded and left.

 

* * *

**Old Version Chapters 1 and 2 below - read if you want to compare them to the newer version,  or just because you want to :)**

**Chapter 1** )  LOVELY BABY was a reality show that paired native Chinese idols with popular American foreigners (Bloggers, Vloggers, Online Personalities, that kind of thing). They were placed in a house together for six months and their every move was to be recorded for the world to see. Normally, the show chose the foreigner that the idol was to be living with. Luckily, for Tao, he had a little pull, because of his time spent in EXO. He'd made friends with one of the assistant directors, Liang, and out of respect, they'd given him the option to go through the tapes and applications sent in by the potential's, in order to make his own choice.

Being in EXO had taken up so much of his time and his dream of improving English and making American foreigner friends had been impossible. Reality shows in Korea were severely against putting just one man and woman in a house together even if there were cameras everywhere. In the last couple of years, China had become slightly more liberal. Even though a percentage of the applicants were men, he had full intention of picking a woman. What was wrong with wanting a little more female interaction in his life?

That was another thing that he'd disliked about being in EXO. They gotten to perform and build a following, but hadn't been allowed to really get to know anyone, especially not females. He was twenty-four now and was ready for that aspect in his life. He wasn't expecting a romantic relationship to come out of this opportunity, but he was going to entertain the fantasy anyway. The language exchange and the chance to learn about another culture was what he was really excited about.

:)

Melina's Blog

(Who cares what day it is?)

...Yet again, I start a blog post with absolutely no idea what I should write about. ...

Seriously, why did she continue doing this shit?

"What are you doing?"

Melina scowled and slowly turned her head. Mai was standing behind her chair, peering over her shoulder at her laptop screen. "What does it look like I'm doing," she said blandly.

She made a noise of disapproval. "Why don't you ever write about anything interesting."

Sighing, she looked back at the screen. They've had this conversation many times. Her life was boring, therefor, she had nothing interesting to write about. Regardless, she found herself day after day typing out random useless crap to send out to the void that was the internet world. A part of her hoped that she would somehow gain some kind of following that would understand her boring life and the other half didn't care.

She'd been doing this on and off for years and hadn't gotten a single Follower, so she didn't expect that to change any time soon. "You're annoying me," she said. "Go away."

...Mai is annoying me again. She thinks she's funny, but she's really not. Why do I keep living with her?

She smirked as Mai gasped. Her accent always got worse when she got offended. Or angry or sad or excited. Any heightened emotion, really. It amused her.

"So ruuude," she said.

Melina remained frozen with her fingers poised over where her laptop keys used to be. Mai had swiped her computer right out from under her hands. "Dude," she exclaimed.

Ignoring her, Mai took the seat on the other side of the round kitchen table and sat her laptop down in front of her. She started typing.

"Ya know," she said, angrily crossing her arms over her chest. "You had better be highly and I mean severely happy that I like you or me and you would have serious problems right now."

Still looking at the computer screen, Mai said, "I just wanted to show you something." One side of her lip curled up into a smug smile.

What was she up to? Melina watched her suspiciously. "I swear if this is another one of those kitten videos-"

"No, it's not that," she said, cutting her off. Her face lit up as she found what ever it was she'd been looking for. She turned the laptop around for her to see the screen.

There was a picture of a skinny Asian guy in fashionable clothes on it. Frowning in confusion, she said, "I don't get it."

"It's Tao," she said insistently, like that was supposed to explain everything.

Melina's cheeks puffed out with the force of her exhale. Stay calm, she mentally repeated to herself. Sometimes, she wanted to pummel her roommate. She pressed her lips together and allowed them to roughly roll apart before she spoke again. "Ok," she said, her voice sounding a little strained as she forced herself to speak calmly.

"It's Tao, which is...?" She left the sentence dangling in hopes that Mai would soon get to the point.

Her eyes widened and she got up to come stand beside her. "Tao. Zi Tao," she said pointing forcefully at the screen.

"I swear if you say that one more time," she warned.

"He's famous. How can you not know him!"

She wanted to kill her. Like, seriously. Why had her mom reinforce in to her that owning a gun was a bad thing? Oh, yeah, because having an annoying roommate created the temptation to shoot her. "If you don't get to the point soon, I swear to..."

She always resisted saying God, because she believed it was blasphemous, but oh, how she wanted to say it, so bad! "If you don't get to the point soon, I'm going to beat the crap out of you."

"What do you think about him?"

"What," she asked in confusion.

"Do you find him attractive?"

Frowning, she looked back at the screen. The picture was high quality, so sharp that it jumped out at you. The guy, Tao, was standing in front of a glossed gray wall. He had wide shoulders that were prominent to the rest of his tall angular figure. He had really long legs. Because he had his hands behind his back, she couldn't see them.

The thing that stood out to her the most was his eyes. They were slanted up at the edges, just like a cat. The eyeliner he wore made them stand out even more. She stared at them for a few seconds, because she'd always had a thing for eyes shaped like that. It wasn't a fetish either. She didn't have fetishes.

They were just beautiful. It was a shame that she couldn't see the guys eyes beyond the picture. Fashion poses were always like this. Fierce or Steely were possibly the words used to describe it. It was all frozen in time.

It was fake. She quickly took in the rest of him. He had a narrow face with a sharp chin. High cheekbones and small bow shaped lips. His dyed blonde hair was combed over to the side. "Mmm..," she finally said, shrugging. "He's attractive."

"Just attractive," Mai exclaimed incredulously. "He's freaking hot!" Her accent came out thickly, making the word 'freaking' sound like 'fwreekin'.

"Is there a reason why you're telling me all this?"

Mai grinned so wide that it made her oval shaped eyes look like they were closed.

Her heartbeat sped up from fear and she leaned a little bit away from her. "What," she demanded. "What are you looking at me like that?"

:)

That's the show's actual name? Lovely Baby? Seriously?

Tao doubled over laughing. This girl was funny. No matter how much her friend tried to get her interested in the show she remained unamused. He had to pause the video until he got himself back under control. When he straightened back up he realized Liang was giving him a weird look.

His eyes sparkled with unrestrained glee as he asked, "What is it?"

Liang looked at the computer screen, then back at him. "Zi Tao," he began gently and his tone made him frown. "Are you thinking of picking her?"

He looked back at the screen and smiled. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's just..." He scratched his head and said, "She's has no kind of reputation. To the public, she's a nobody. I'm not even sure that the show will allow it."

That didn't make any sense. "Then why is her video in here? I thought all of these were options."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That's actually a good question."

Tao pressed play on the video. It was decent quality. He picked up the application form and read aloud from it. "Melina Ti..." He couldn't pronounce the last name and he wasn't entirely sure that he'd pronounced the first name right. Ok, he couldn't read most of what the application said, but that's why they had translators. The little bit of the video he'd watched had been entertaining because of the way the two friends interacted together.

"Don't you want to be on international television," the friend asked.

He looked up at the screen. He'd understood enough of that to make out the meaning behind it.

Why would I want to meet some random stranger and be a part of a television show in China? Explain that to me.

The camera zoomed in to Melina's face and Tao couldn't help, but lean closer to the screen. There was just something about this girl. He couldn't put his finger on it. Intense people usually intimidated him and if he thought about it too hard she also might, but... He leaned back in his seat. "I really want it to be this one," he said with finality. "Gege, please."

Liang took in a long deep breath as he looked at him. "I'll see what I can do."  
\-------  
**Chapter 2** )  

Melina's Blog

[Last Blog Post: 3 days ago]

*#^$(*#(&$^rflksrnlsiena;f;oidf;dijf;a fuuuuuuuck!

Melina's apartment building was smack dab in the middle of one of the shittiest areas on the map. Ok, that was a little bit of an exaggeration. Chicago wasn't bad. Her neighborhood was known as 'The Fink'. The reason was because of all of the fences in the area.

They were literally everywhere. The places of business and apartment buildings were so close together that every area needed to be quarantined off to mark the pathetic excuse of space that belonged to each individual domain. Her apartment was on the third floor. She'd created an outside sanctuary on the tiny nook just outside their window. It was just enough space to sit on and not much more.

Mai was constantly nagging her about using it. Saying things like, "You're going to fall to your death," or "You're so stupid for risking your life like that." She was so pessimistically morbid. Who talked about death so casually like that? Mai did. That's who.

Mai had grown up with her grandparents and from the stories that she'd told her, they'd apparantly been a couple of paranoid shuts in. Her behavior was a reflection of their raisin'. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pack of cigarettes. LMN Menthol 100's was where it was at. She didn't smoke much.  

Mostly, just the morning cigarette and one or a couple extra when she was super stressed out. So, her amount smoked tallied up to a minimum of four a day. Having a roommate was awesome. Not to mention the fact that she'd totally gone behind her back and set her up to be completely humiliated by t.v. people. Grimacing at the thought of her upcoming initial interview, she pulled a cigarette from the pack and gently placed the filter between her lips.

A pathetic whiny noise came out muffled through her closed mouth and she clicked the button on the lighter. The end of the cigarette flickered to life. With a small inhale, she pulled the smoke in to her mouth. With practiced ease, she inhaled deeper, pulling it in to her lungs. Her tongue tingled pleasantly from the menthol and she leaned slightly forward to look down at the wooden gate and wide metal trash cans three floor below her.

The sun was beginning to get higher and she was dreading this new day. She opened her mouth wide and forced most of the smoke out of it in one giant exhale. Little tendrils of left over smoke curled at the corners of her lips and she waited for them to clear before she took another drag.

:)

Tao was off work today, thankfully. Liang had said that the Lovely Baby staff was supposed to hold a meeting at 10:30 A.M. about his choice for the foreign participant and that was supposed to have been an hour ago. The fact that they might have said no made him nervous and he'd gotten that way every time he'd thought about it since the day he'd chosen. He nervously turned his cup around in his hands as he waited. It only had a tiny bit of tea left in it and it had long since turned cold. He jumped when his cellphone vibrated against the table top.

With a shaky hand, he sat his cup down and picked up his cellphone. LIANG was flashing in bright green letters against the charcoal backdrop of his Incoming Call screen. With a quick swipe of his index finger he answered it and pressed the handset against his ear. He bit his bottom lip, too afraid to ask how the meeting had gone. Luckily, Liang didn't need prompting to speak.

"Zi Tao," he said in a way that meant he knew he was lingering awkwardly silent on the other end of the line. He knew him well.

Tao inhaled deeply to try and calm his nerves. It was going to be really embarrassing if they'd voted against his choice. "What'd they say," he tentatively asked.

Liang cleared his throat and Tao winced at the noise. His heartbeat sped up in expectation.

"They said yes-"

Tao threw his hands up in the air, yelling, "YES" to the ceiling. He grinned widely at the light fixture over his head for a few seconds before he remembered that he was still on the phone. He let out a nervous giggled and pressed the receiver back to his ear. "Sorry," he apologized, even though he wasn't in slightest.

"Like I was saying," Liang continued, sounding a little gruff. He had this little thing with getting annoyed when he was interrupted while speaking. Tao was used to it. It was part of his charm. "They accepted, but there are stipulations."

"What kind of stipulations?"

"She'll need to enroll in a language course, think total immersion and she'll need to create a reputable appearance during her stay to promote the show to it's fullest."

Tao's brows furrowed as he replayed his words in his head. "How is she going to do that? I doubt she can afford to hire a manager."

"No no," he said quickly. The show is providing everything. I managed to work in the fact that it would be good for publicity. Not only are they going to provide entertainment, but they are going to offer their audience something fresh. This girl is going to have to be fully committed to this project in order for this to happen."

"It's going to be a lot of work. Do you think she'll be up to it? In her video, she didn't seem too in to it."

Tao sat up straighter in his chair, because this situation had just become complicated. He'd been intrigued by this girl, but that was all it was. She hadn't even been the one to apply to the show. Her friend was the one who had sent in the application. Even though the clip of her begging the show to give her friend a chance had been moving, it didn't mean that her friend would be up to something as laborious as the expectations for her had just become. "Honestly," he admitted. "I don't know. We need to talk to her. Explain the situation and see how it all goes."

"What are you going to do if this falls through?"

Be embarrassed. He had a bad habit of getting too excited about things before the peices had ever fallen in to place and more often than not, he was left disappointed. Would he ever learn? "I'll do the logical thing. I'll pick someone else."

When Tao hung up, he hung his head in premature defeat. He didn't know how this was all going to play out, but he wasn't going to get his hopes up a second time. At least, not until things worked out the way he wanted. If, they worked out the way he wanted. He felt like a silly little child. His mouth hung slightly open as he raised his head.

He stared at the metal of his sink, illuminated brightly by the light shining in through the small window over it. Now, he had more waiting to do, but he wasn't going to sit around while time went by. He could use this time to be constructive. There was a song he needed to work on. His note-sheets were at the studio.

After he'd dressed appropriately for a casual day out, he grabbed his shades from off the top of the dresser, stopped in the kitchen to pocket his phone and left the apartment. 

* * *

 

 

Old Version if you want to compare it to the new version, or just wanna check it out 'cuz.

Ch1)

  
**Melina's Blog**

**(Who cares what day it is?)**

**...Yet again, I start a blog post with absolutely no idea what I should write about. ...**

**Seriously, why did she continue doing this shit?**

"What are you doing?"

Melina scowled and slowly turned her head. Mai was standing behind her chair, peering over her shoulder at her laptop screen. "What does it look like I'm doing," she said blandly.

She made a noise of disapproval. "Why don't you ever write about anything interesting."

Sighing, she looked back at the screen. They've had this conversation many times. Her life was boring, therefor, she had nothing interesting to write about. Regardless, she found herself day after day typing out random useless crap to send out to the void that was the internet world. A part of her hoped that she would somehow gain some kind of following that would understand her boring life and the other half didn't care.

She'd been doing this on and off for years and hadn't gotten a single Follower, so she didn't expect that to change any time soon. "You're annoying me," she said. "Go away."

**...Mai is annoying me again. She thinks she's funny, but she's really not. Why do I keep living with her?**

She smirked as Mai gasped. Her accent always got worse when she got offended. Or angry or sad or excited. Any heightened emotion, really. It amused her.

"So ruuude," she said.

Melina remained frozen with her fingers poised over where her laptop keys used to be. Mai had swiped her computer right out from under her hands. "Dude," she exclaimed.

Ignoring her, Mai took the seat on the other side of the round kitchen table and sat her laptop down in front of her. She started typing.

"Ya know," she said, angrily crossing her arms over her chest. "You had better be highly and I mean severely happy that I like you or me and you would have serious problems right now."

Still looking at the computer screen, Mai said, "I just wanted to show you something." One side of her lip curled up into a smug smile.

What was she up to? Melina watched her suspiciously. "I swear if this is another one of those kitten videos-"

"No, it's not that," she said, cutting her off. Her face lit up as she found what ever it was she'd been looking for. She turned the laptop around for her to see the screen.

There was a picture of a skinny Asian guy in fashionable clothes on it. Frowning in confusion, she said, "I don't get it."

"It's Tao," she said insistently, like that was supposed to explain everything.

Melina's cheeks puffed out with the force of her exhale. Stay calm, she mentally repeated to herself. Sometimes, she wanted to pummel her roommate. She pressed her lips together and allowed them to roughly roll apart before she spoke again. "Ok," she said, her voice sounding a little strained as she forced herself to speak calmly.

"It's Tao, which is...?" She left the sentence dangling in hopes that Mai would soon get to the point.

Her eyes widened and she got up to come stand beside her. "Tao. Zi Tao," she said pointing forcefully at the screen.

"I swear if you say that one more time," she warned.

"He's famous. How can you not know him!"

She wanted to kill her. Like, seriously. Why had her mom reinforce in to her that owning a gun was a bad thing? Oh, yeah, because having an annoying roommate created the temptation to shoot her. "If you don't get to the point soon, I swear to..."

She always resisted saying God, because she believed it was blasphemous, but oh, how she wanted to say it, so bad! "If you don't get to the point soon, I'm going to beat the crap out of you."

"What do you think about him?"

"What," she asked in confusion.

"Do you find him attractive?"

Frowning, she looked back at the screen. The picture was high quality, so sharp that it jumped out at you. The guy, Tao, was standing in front of a glossed gray wall. He had wide shoulders that were prominent to the rest of his tall angular figure. He had really long legs. Because he had his hands behind his back, she couldn't see them.

The thing that stood out to her the most was his eyes. They were slanted up at the edges, just like a cat. The eyeliner he wore made them stand out even more. She stared at them for a few seconds, because she'd always had a thing for eyes shaped like that. It wasn't a fetish either. She didn't have fetishes.

They were just beautiful. It was a shame that she couldn't see the guys eyes beyond the picture. Fashion poses were always like this. Fierce or Steely were possibly the words used to describe it. It was all frozen in time.

It was fake. She quickly took in the rest of him. He had a narrow face with a sharp chin. High cheekbones and small bow shaped lips. His dyed blonde hair was combed over to the side. "Mmm..," she finally said, shrugging. "He's attractive."

"Just attractive," Mai exclaimed incredulously. "He's freaking hot!" Her accent came out thickly, making the word 'freaking' sound like 'fwreekin'.

"Is there a reason why you're telling me all this?"

Mai grinned so wide that it made her oval shaped eyes look like they were closed.

Her heartbeat sped up from fear and she leaned a little bit away from her. "What," she demanded. "What are you looking at me like that?"

:)

That's the show's actual name? Lovely Baby? Seriously?

Tao doubled over laughing. This girl was funny. No matter how much her friend tried to get her interested in the show she remained unamused. He had to pause the video until he got himself back under control. When he straightened back up he realized Liang was giving him a weird look.

His eyes sparkled with unrestrained glee as he asked, "What is it?"

Liang looked at the computer screen, then back at him. "Zi Tao," he began gently and his tone made him frown. "Are you thinking of picking her?"

He looked back at the screen and smiled. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's just..." He scratched his head and said, "She's has no kind of reputation. To the public, she's a nobody. I'm not even sure that the show will allow it."

That didn't make any sense. "Then why is her video in here? I thought all of these were options."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That's actually a good question."

Tao pressed play on the video. It was decent quality. He picked up the application form and read aloud from it. "Melina Ti..." He couldn't pronounce the last name and he wasn't entirely sure that he'd pronounced the first name right. Ok, he couldn't read most of what the application said, but that's why they had translators. The little bit of the video he'd watched had been entertaining because of the way the two friends interacted together.

"Don't you want to be on international television," the friend asked.

He looked up at the screen. He'd understood enough of that to make out the meaning behind it.

Why would I want to meet some random stranger and be a part of a television show in China? Explain that to me.

The camera zoomed in to Melina's face and Tao couldn't help, but lean closer to the screen. There was just something about this girl. He couldn't put his finger on it. Intense people usually intimidated him and if he thought about it too hard she also might, but... He leaned back in his seat. "I really want it to be this one," he said with finality. "Gege, please."

Liang took in a long deep breath as he looked at him. "I'll see what I can do."

  
**Ch1)**  
**Melina's Blog**

**[Last Blog Post: 3 days ago]**

***#^$(*#( &$^rflksrnlsiena;f;oidf;dijf;a fuuuuuuuck!**

Melina's apartment building was smack dab in the middle of one of the shittiest areas on the map. Ok, that was a little bit of an exaggeration. Chicago wasn't bad. Her neighborhood was known as 'The Fink'. The reason was because of all of the fences in the area.

They were literally everywhere. The places of business and apartment buildings were so close together that every area needed to be quarantined off to mark the pathetic excuse of space that belonged to each individual domain. Her apartment was on the third floor. She'd created an outside sanctuary on the tiny nook just outside their window. It was just enough space to sit on and not much more.

Mai was constantly nagging her about using it. Saying things like, "You're going to fall to your death," or "You're so stupid for risking your life like that." She was so pessimistically morbid. Who talked about death so casually like that? Mai did. That's who.

Mai had grown up with her grandparents and from the stories that she'd told her, they'd apparently been a couple of paranoid shuts in. Her behavior was a reflection of their raisin'. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pack of cigarettes. LMN Menthol 100's was where it was at. She didn't smoke much.

Mostly, just the morning cigarette and one or a couple extra when she was super stressed out. So, her amount smoked tallied up to a minimum of four a day. Having a roommate was awesome. Not to mention the fact that she'd totally gone behind her back and set her up to be completely humiliated by t.v. people. Grimacing at the thought of her upcoming initial interview, she pulled a cigarette from the pack and gently placed the filter between her lips.

A pathetic whiny noise came out muffled through her closed mouth and she clicked the button on the lighter. The end of the cigarette flickered to life. With a small inhale, she pulled the smoke in to her mouth. With practiced ease, she inhaled deeper, pulling it in to her lungs. Her tongue tingled pleasantly from the menthol and she leaned slightly forward to look down at the wooden gate and wide metal trash cans three floor below her.

The sun was beginning to get higher and she was dreading this new day. She opened her mouth wide and forced most of the smoke out of it in one giant exhale. Little tendrils of left over smoke curled at the corners of her lips and she waited for them to clear before she took another drag.

:)

Tao was off work today, thankfully. Liang had said that the Lovely Baby staff was supposed to hold a meeting at 10:30 A.M. about his choice for the foreign participant and that was supposed to have been an hour ago. The fact that they might have said no made him nervous and he'd gotten that way every time he'd thought about it since the day he'd chosen. He nervously turned his cup around in his hands as he waited. It only had a tiny bit of tea left in it and it had long since turned cold. He jumped when his cellphone vibrated against the table top.

With a shaky hand, he sat his cup down and picked up his cellphone. LIANG was flashing in bright green letters against the charcoal backdrop of his Incoming Call screen. With a quick swipe of his index finger he answered it and pressed the handset against his ear. He bit his bottom lip, too afraid to ask how the meeting had gone. Luckily, Liang didn't need prompting to speak.

"Zi Tao," he said in a way that meant he knew he was lingering awkwardly silent on the other end of the line. He knew him well.

Tao inhaled deeply to try and calm his nerves. It was going to be really embarrassing if they'd voted against his choice. "What'd they say," he tentatively asked.

Liang cleared his throat and Tao winced at the noise. His heartbeat sped up in expectation.

"They said yes-"

Tao threw his hands up in the air, yelling, "YES" to the ceiling. He grinned widely at the light fixture over his head for a few seconds before he remembered that he was still on the phone. He let out a nervous giggled and pressed the receiver back to his ear. "Sorry," he apologized, even though he wasn't in slightest.

"Like I was saying," Liang continued, sounding a little gruff. He had this little thing with getting annoyed when he was interrupted while speaking. Tao was used to it. It was part of his charm. "They accepted, but there are stipulations."

"What kind of stipulations?"

"She'll need to enroll in a language course, think total immersion and she'll need to create a reputable appearance during her stay to promote the show to it's fullest."

Tao's brows furrowed as he replayed his words in his head. "How is she going to do that? I doubt she can afford to hire a manager."

"No no," he said quickly. The show is providing everything. I managed to work in the fact that it would be good for publicity. Not only are they going to provide entertainment, but they are going to offer their audience something fresh. This girl is going to have to be fully committed to this project in order for this to happen."

"It's going to be a lot of work. Do you think she'll be up to it? In her video, she didn't seem too in to it."

Tao sat up straighter in his chair, because this situation had just become complicated. He'd been intrigued by this girl, but that was all it was. She hadn't even been the one to apply to the show. Her friend was the one who had sent in the application. Even though the clip of her begging the show to give her friend a chance had been moving, it didn't mean that her friend would be up to something as laborious as the expectations for her had just become. "Honestly," he admitted. "I don't know. We need to talk to her. Explain the situation and see how it all goes."

"What are you going to do if this falls through?"

Be embarrassed. He had a bad habit of getting too excited about things before the pieces had ever fallen in to place and more often than not, he was left disappointed. Would he ever learn? "I'll do the logical thing. I'll pick someone else."

When Tao hung up, he hung his head in premature defeat. He didn't know how this was all going to play out, but he wasn't going to get his hopes up a second time. At least, not until things worked out the way he wanted. If, they worked out the way he wanted. He felt like a silly little child. His mouth hung slightly open as he raised his head.

He stared at the metal of his sink, illuminated brightly by the light shining in through the small window over it. Now, he had more waiting to do, but he wasn't going to sit around while time went by. He could use this time to be constructive. There was a song he needed to work on. His note-sheets were at the studio.

After he'd dressed appropriately for a casual day out, he grabbed his shades from off the top of the dresser, stopped in the kitchen to pocket his phone and left the apartment.


	2. And loved ones can be a pain...

**2**

**And loved ones can be a pain...**

  
    Tao groaned.  Something bony was poking him in the side.  And talking.  
    "You get up.  It's past Noon.  You should be ashamed of yourself.  Laying in bed all day," it said.  
    "Ugh.  Leave me a alone," he said and it was muffled by his pillow.    
    "I'll do no such thing.  Get up."  
    "Tàitai, please.  So comfy."  He felt the unmistakable shape of a shoe connect with his butt and he cried out.  
    "Don't you Tàitai me you little punk," she said and he felt the mattress dip.  She was going to drag him off.  
    Laughing, he rolled away.  She worked for his Father who'd insisted he allow her to clean his apartment twice a week (she'd most likely bullied him in to it).  Her name was Li Qiang.  She'd been with them for ten years and was considered family.  He fought with her to keep his blanket.  It was ripped from his hands.  "I hate you," he wailed.  
    "Yeah yeah."  
    She started crawling across the mattress and his eyes widened.  He rolled over the edge and carpet spared his knees from pain.  Thankfully, the door was close to the bed and he made it there in time.  His bare feet slapped loudly on the wooden floor as he ran away.  "Put some clothes on," he heard her yell.  
    His laugh echoed through the house as he ran towards the bathroom.

**:/**

    Bang.  Clang.  Ching-  
    Melina opened her eyes.  She rolled over and saw Mai washing dishes.  "I swear if you don't stop I'm going to-"  
    "It's not my fault you slept on the couch instead of your room," she said.  
    Her eyes widened.  She was still wearing her uniform, minus shoes, she felt sticky from sweat and she wasn't in the mood for this.  "Why do I continue to live with you?"  A yawn pushed it's way out and she deflated.  "I'm going to get a shower."  
    "Breakfast... may be ready when you get out.  Depends how long it takes me to wash these."  
    "Whatever."

**:/**

    The scent of fresh rice drew Tao to the Kitchen.  Qiang was at the sink removing the shells from boiled eggs.  "I reheated some left over meat.  It'll all be ready in a few minutes," she said.  
    "Have I ever told you that I love you," he said.  He pulled a table chair out and sat down.  With his head on his hands he watched her.    
    "It's also nice to see you fully clothed."  
    He felt his cheeks heat up and he smiled.  "I was too tired to dress for bed."  
    She turned the water on and washed the unshelled egg off.  It made a thunk sound as she dropped it into a strainer.  Unshelling another one, she looked at him.  "Your Father has mentioned this to me.  Why haven't you been sleeping well?"    
    He dropped his hands and said, "Can we talk about something else?  I slept well this time.  I'm in a good mood.  Please?"  The look she gave him tempted him to run to his room and lock the door.    
    She said, "Fine, but one day we are sitting down and having this discussion."  
    He made a face and slowly nodded.  
    When the food was done she slid a bowl of rice towards him.  He pulled it closer and watched her place the meat and sliced eggs in the center.  She handed him a pair of thin metal chopsticks, his favorite ones, and sat across from him.  The rice was firm enough that he could easily pick it up.  Most times he had to use a spoon, but no one cooked like her.    
    She used her fingers to pick up a slice of egg.  He ate more rice as he watched her chew.  "You know, I'm still surprised you got your own place, ZiTao," she said.    
    "Why?"  They'd already had this conversation, but it always made him feel good to have it again.    
    "Because I honestly thought you'd live at home for ever.  You're a baby.  You can't clean for yourself.  You can't cook.  You don't even know how to do your own laundry."  
    "Plus you didn't have to leave."  
    He grabbed a piece of meat and said insistently, "I'm learning.  I did my laundry this last time.  And I managed it fine.  Besides, my Father can't take care of me forever.  I have to grow up sometime."    
    "He still does too much for me."  He ate his meat.  It was a little chewy.  A few more chews and he made a face.  She turned around and grabbed the roll of napkins from the counter.    
    He ripped one off.  After he'd spit it out he wadded the napkin up and threw it away.  Sitting back down he said, "That was disgusting.  I need to buy fresh meat."  
    "See.  This is what I'm talking about.  You can't even shop like your supposed to."  
    "I shop just fine."  
    She put a piece of meat in her mouth and nodded as she chewed.  "Tastes fine to me," she said.  
    "Speak for yourself."  As she ate another piece he picked up a slice of egg.  It tasted the way a fresh egg is supposed to.  Firm to the touch but soft under the teeth, a little moist from water, and the yellow part had a unique almost waxy flavor.  He ate another one and another.    
    "Oh, I almost forgot.  Your director friend called."  
    He paused mid-chew.  Director friend?  Yesterday rushed back to him.  After swallowing his food he said, "Tàitai, I already told you he's a Directive Consultant."  
    "Same thing," she said.  Her head shook a little bit as she said it and she used her chopsticks to poke at the eggs.  "Whiny kid."  
    "So mean.  What'd he say?  Actually, speaking of that, how'd you get my cellphone?"  He flinched when she suddenly leaned over the table.  She flicked him in the forehead and he jumped back in his chair.    
    Rubbing his head he heard her say, "It was laying on your bedside table.  Right where you left it.  I swear I don't know what I'm going to do with you.  Think child, think."  
    Sulking, he looked at her.  She studied his expression and rolled her eyes.  "He said to remind you to call him when you've looked over some kind of offer.  Something about a folder.  I'm going to take a wild guess and say you know what that means."  
    "Yeah.  There's this cultural exchange reality show he wants me to participate in.  He said it'll be good for my reputation."  
    "Well, that's good.  Are you going to do it?"  
    He looked at the table, leaned over to see the counter and sat back in his seat.  "The folder was right here.  Did you move it?"  
    "I put it on your bed."  
    "Oh.  Anyways, I haven't read all of it yet.  If he says it's a good idea it most likely is.  I still like to be sure though.  So, once I read it I'll know more."  
    "I'll let you know."  
    "Well, I'll be here today to clean so if you read it fast you can tell me then."  
    He laughed and nodded.  "Ok, Tàitai."    
    They ate the rest of their meal.  She side eyed him as he insisted on doing the dishes.  Grinning, he started the water.  He looked over and watched her go in to the living room.  She pulled a foot stool under the ceiling fan and left the room.    
    Her cleaning supplies were in his closet, including her extendable duster.  Laughing, he looked at the sink.  It was way too full and he continued laughing as he turned the water off.  He drained the excess and started washing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These scenes wrote themselves. I went where I thought they'd naturally go, and I unintentionally showed the comparison for how each one starts their day. Haha. Tao's a dork. Melina has a very annoying but lovable roommate, and may be a little jaded. They love each other though. ^^ What'cha think?


	3. And let's do this...

Rated M for language

**3  
And let's do this... **

 

    Tao had given himself two days to think over Liang's proposal.  Normally, they'd seal a deal over the phone and settle the legalities later.  This time, because of their previous less than pleasant meeting, he'd offered to buy him a meal while they discussed it.    
    "I'm honestly surprised you called me so soon," Liang said.  He'd hung his jacket over the back of his chair and rolled up his sleeves.  Steam was curling over the edges of his soup bowl.  Tao watched him pick up his chopsticks and pull noodles out of it.  He looked at his own food.    
    Their restaurant was small but it had the right amount of class.  His porcelein plate shined under the light.  A neat line of Sushi Rolls were on one side and an artistic swirl of Soy Sauce on the other.  The plates sleek rectangular shape finished the presentation.  He picked up his chopsticks and slid a roll through the Soy Sauce.    
    The first taste reminded him why he liked them so much.  The rice was crisp cool, he could feel the texture of the tasteless Sea Weed Wrap, which promised the best part.  The slice of shrimp, advacado, and cream cheese.  The Soy Sauce off-set the flavors and tingled on his tongue.  He moaned and stuffed the rest of it in his mouth.    
    Liang raised an eyebrow and he waved his chopsticks at him, meaning, "You eat your food your way and I'll eat mine my way."  He swallowed and took a sip of water.    
    Half way through their meal Liang wiped a napkin over his mouth and said, "So, you've considered the proposal, and I'm assuming us meeting like this means you've decided to do it."  
    "I have."  One thing he liked about eating Sushi Rolls was how simple they were.  No grease, no post added sauce, and he never had to touch them.  He sucked the remnant Soy Sauce off the ends of his Chopsticks and said, "I like the idea of learning English through face-to-face communication.  Although, the idea of having a Translator around all the time is going to be... annoying.  But logical."    
    "It's also a great way to learn, because I just don't have time to learn on my own.  I'm busy, and with my schedule I don't even have time to take a language class.  Otherwise I'd apply for one at the community college."  
    Liang nodded.  "Like I said, a great opportunity for you."  
    "Thank you for thinking of me first."  
    "Of course.  Did you read the special offers page?"  
    He nodded and said, "I did.  I get to go through the Canidates and choose who I want to live with."  
    "Now, I can't promise that your choice will be the one chosen.  Management has the final say, but it isn't often that someone gets free reign like this.  You should feel priveledged."  
    "Oh, I do.  It'd suck if they over ruled my choice, but it'll still be the same experience.  I'll get to meet someone new, learn English.  I'll try and make the best of it."  He took a bite out of a roll.  No matter how many of these he ate they still tasted amazing.  He ate another one.    
    Liang used a spoon to drink soup from his bowl.  He blowed on it before he stuck it in his mouth.  "So, should I meet you at your studio to sign the contract or would you prefer to meet somewhere else?"    
    Blocking his mouth from view he spoke around his food.  "That's fine.  I'll check my schedule and let you know when it'll be a good time.  The Proposal said the Submission Page has already been posted."  
    "It has.  Once you've signed the contract we'll post that you'll be the Idol Face of the show.  We've already had a few hundred Submission, but once the Idol's name is posted it usally goes up to a few thousand, at least."    
    "Wo-ah.  That's exciting.  I'm looking forward to going over the Submission Videos."  
    "That...  usually isn't as fun as it sounds."  
    He ate another roll.  He smiled and said, "I like anything to do with Fans.  It makes me feel good.  I like to see all the faces and hear their messages.  Even though I probably won't be able to understand half of what they're saying... it'll still be fun."  
    "You're so silly."  Shaking his head, he dropped his spoon in his bowl and leaned back in his chair.  "Thank you for the meal."  He looked at his watch.  
    "Any time."  
    He let out an amused sound and said, "Just call me.  I really need to get back to work."  He came around and patted him on the back.  Tao waved good bye as he walked away.  Eating another roll he analyzed his decision.  It wasn't like he'd never been around an American.  
    There'd been more than one in his videos.  His English comprehension was bare minimum, so the beginning wasn't going to be completely awkward.  He ate his last roll and left a tip on the table.  Feeling excited he left the restaurant.

**:/**

    After work Melina had soaked, and then brought her laptop to the couch.  The cushion felt amazing on her legs as she brushed her hair.  She tossed her brush on the cushion beside her and put her hair in a bun.  Sighing, she sat back and closed her eyes.  Standing on her feet for eight hours wasn't a problem.    
    After eight months her body had adjusted, but even with the non-stop customers it was bo-ring.  Sighing, she opened her eyes and pulled her computer on to her lap.  Her blog layout was simple:  A white page with a blue Heading.  Melina's Blog was in the middle in a bold blocky font.    
    She hadn't spent a lot of time on it, so it wasn't eye pleasing.  Her cursor was one of the few things she had customized, and she used the touch pad to move it to the head of a new page.  Her punk styled heart was black lined in lime green and after a lengthy amount of time it started blinking.  Watching it was the only thing that comforted her when nothing to write about came to mind.  Reading other blogs for inspiration hadn't helped.    
    Some bloggers whined about their problems, others wrote about merchandise or amazing places they planned on traveling to next.  What did she have to write about?  An endearingly annoying roommate?  A boring twelve to eight job?  How many times did she have bo-ring?  
    Her cheeks puffed out from the force of her exhale.  She didn't think of herself as boring.  How unfair would that be?  She couldn't make interesting things happen.  When she had time she went shopping, or out to eat.  And regardless, she spent time with Mai and they listened to music or talked like normal  female friends do.    
    Them bickering was the result of two close people, who through thick and thin, had stuck by each other.  They had their moments, but a little personal space fixed that.  She heard Mai's door open and her footsteps on the kitchen floor.  Melina tapped the keys under her finger, debating... nothing.  Why did she keep doing this?    
    "I feel like I want to write something, but I can't freaking think of where to start," she said.  
    Mai swiped her brush in to the floor and plopped down beside her, jostling her computer.  She held it tight and said, "Really?"  Mai laid her head on her shoulder, which smushed her cheek up.  She shrugged.  Melina looked at her brush, then sideways at Mai, then back at her screen.    
    Mai's words were garbled when she said, "Did I get any notifications?"  
    "No.  You know, you said you were going to get your computer back like three weeks ago.  What's the deal with that?"  There was no deciphering what she said next.  "What?"  
    "I saaaid I have to wait until my Stipend comes in."  She was taking a Business course at the Community College.  Her Stipend came every three months.  Mai was responsible and saved every dime not used on classes and books.  It also covered laptops, but she refused to buy a new one.    
    It's my baby.  I've had it for three years and it has sentimental value, she'd said.  She'd tried to explain that the system it ran off of (she wasn't going to pretend to be an expert on computers) eventually became old.  And and... it eventually just died.  Nope, that hadn't worked, so she'd just given up.  Now, she regularly used hers.  Because of her job she had all day, and since she forever couldn't think of anything to write about she regularly handed it over.    
    That way she wasn't tempted to break it.  Only Mai would be in a pickle if she did that.  Which amused her, although, she unfortunately wasn't mean enough to do something like that.  And she happened to like having a computer.  "Is there anything specific your waiting on?"  
    "No.  I was just wondering."    
    And that was the just of their night.    
    The next morning Melina made coffee, and with her head propped on her hands she stared at the pot until it was finished.  She'd drank enough coffee to have gained the ability to eye the perfect amount of sugar and creamer she added.  It measured out to be three tablespoons of sugar and enough creamer to turn her coffee light golden.  The French Vanilla smelled amazing in and out of the container, and basking in it's gloriousness she shuffled her lime green house shoes forward.  In the morning human beings unconsciously did everything possible not to break the stillness.    
    The moment they did the clock hand began to move forward again.  She pulled a chair out and sat down.  She placed her mug on the table and watched the steam.  It rose in puffs and rolled over the sides.  The lazy movement made her eyes feel heavier.    
    To resist she pulled a controlled breath in, held it, and slowly let it out.  She didn't have to work today - thank God.  After five days of that shit she needed a break.  Sometimes, the repetitiveness drove her insane.  Her laptop was where she'd left it.    
    In the center of the table.  Leaving it there had become a ritual for her.  Her once brilliant plan had been to wake refreshed and pull inspiration out of thin air.  Yeah, brilliant, psh.  Brilliantly... brilliant.  It was possible that not returning to bed, like, right now, would result in bad things.  Her ability to articulate was clearly not working.  
    She moved her mug and pulled her laptop over.  A ding sound, thankfully lower than yesterday, sounded when she opened it.  And that seemed to shatter the morning stillness.  Mai's door opened and Melina watched her make a cup of coffee and some toast.  She looked at her screen and saw a notification.    
    It was numerous lines of foreign characters.  Scowling, she said,  "Have you been messing with my settings again?  I can't read this crap."  Puffiness made Mai's eyes look even more oval.  Her cheeks were swollen and pink.    
    Her hair was mussed. Melina appreciated that she slept with hers up.  She only had to brush it and put it back up.  
    "What you mean," she mumbled.    
    "You have a notification... in Chinese."  That seemed to flip a switch in her.  Her eyes came alive, she sat up straighter, and gave an enthusiastic smile.  "What," she tentatively asked.  She swiped her laptop out from under her fingers.    
    "You had better, and I mean severely, have a good reason for doing that.  This is my writing time and you're taking away precious time that I might think of something.  I feel the inspiration draining away already."    
    Mai let out an amused 'Ha' and said, "You so silly.  I want to show you something."    
    "Oh, God.  It better not be another Kitty video-"  
    "No no.  Hold on."    
    Sighing, she took her coffee as she leaned back.  It was too hot so she put two ice cubes in it.  She stirred them around until they melted.  Using and index finger she tested it.  It felt right, which didn't mean anything.    
    She'd been fooled many times and her tongue and lips had suffered the consequence.  This wasn't one of those times and the first sip revived her in the way only coffee can.  Her mind became clear.  Warmth flooded her making her feel stable.  It was a good day.  
    "What do you think of him," Mai said.  She turned the laptop around and pointed to the screen.    
    A vertically placed picture of an Asian guy was at the top left hand side of the screen.  Beside and below it were tons of Chinese characters.  So, he was Chinese then.  Ok.  "What do you mean," she asked.  
    "It's Wong ZaTao."    
    She rapidly blinked at her.  "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"  
    "He's an Idol.  He's famous.  Remember that show I was talking about?"  
    "The one you wanted to apply for?"  
    "Yes."  She pointed to the characters under the picture and said, "H-U-A-N-G-Z-I-T-A-O.  That's his name.  He's the Idol whose going to be on the show."  
    Taking a sip of coffee she thought about his name.  H-u-a-n-g... ok.  She got the whole Huang instead of Wong.  It looked better.  And she'd never heard the name ZiTao, but it was pretty cool.  "So, are you going to sign up for it?"  
    "Uuum... po-ssibly."  She shrugged.  "So, what do you think about him?"  
    It was too early to be rating someone's level of attractiveness.  "Ugh."  
    "Come on.  Tell me.  Please."  
    "Please," she mocked.  "Fine."  She studied the picture.  It was a half bodied shot but she could tell he was tall.  His face was thin enough to mean he had no body fat.  He most likely was one of those tall skinny people that had that awkward stoop in their shoulders when they stood.    
    In this picture though, he was standing straight.  The white back drop enhanced the dark blue coat he was wearing, along with his black collared shirt.  He had a small face with a sharp chin.  His eyes were smaller than Mai's, and instead of being oval shaped they were slanted.  The quality makeup job gave him a flawless complexion.    
    He had very high cheekbones and they were brought more to attention by the thick liner he was wearing.  The liner gave his eyes a fierce cat-like quality.  Mai had light brown hair and she was full blooded Chinese, so she knew that Asians were born with more than just black hair.  However, by the yellow shade of blonde he was wearing it was obviously dyed.  It was teased back, which gave his face the illusion of length.    
    The quality of the photo seemed to jump out at you.  If you looked at pictures like this for too long it started to feel like the person in them was looking right at you.  She cleared her throat and looked at Mai, who was looking at her expectantly.  
    "Well," she said.  
    "He's attractive."  
    "Attractive?  Just attractive?  He's he's fweeking hot."  
    She raised and eyebrow and said, "Did you just say fweeking?"  
    Her lips formed an O and she blinked a few times.  "N-No."  
    Grinning, she said, "You did.  You so did."  She sat her coffee down and crossed her arms.  "I'm never going to let you forget this you know."  Mai did that.  When she got excited... or mad... or sad.  Any heightened emotion really.  It was one of her quirks, and she loved teasing her about it.    
    "Shut uuup."  She flapped an arm at her, and then swiped her laptop off the table.  "I need to read the rest of this.  See you later."    
    Melina heard the sound of her door close and still grinning, picked up her coffee.  Oh, the joys of having a roommate.


	4. And for those Submission Videos (P1)...

 

**And for those Submission Videos (P1)...**

 

    For most, Sunday was considered boring or it was dreaded, because it was the last day before returning to work.  Even though Melina had to work the next day she found it the most relaxing.  After her morning shower and coffee, she made another cup of coffee and went to her room.  Their apartment was small, but it had something amazing.  A little Terrace that she regularly used to think, chill, or brood... or smoke.    Today was a chill day.  She chunked the lock back and pulled the narrow, double doors open.  A blanket was kept just for this.  Snapping it unfolded was always satisfying.  After folding it long ways to create more cushion, she placed it in a corner and sat down.    
    The metal railing felt familiar.  Their apartment was located in a mid-class Chicago neighborhood.  Seasoned community residents had nicknamed it The Fink, because of the ridiculous amount of fences - around yards, around shops, around select buildings, and even in random sections of grass.  It was funky and only made sense in her mind if she combined Fence... and...  And that's where the making sense stopped.    
    The word Pink came to mind, but it had nothing to do with a fence or the word funky.  She'd long since given up trying to figure it out.  The bars felt cool on her forehead as she peeked through them.  A line of green outside trashcans were in front of a wooden staked fence.  They had a decent sized inside one and didn't have to change it often, so theirs was empty.    
    She faced forward and sipped her coffee.  The caressing silence was refreshing and it prepared her for a new day.  She went inside, locked the doors and put her empty mug in the sink.  
    "So, what do you think of reality shows," she heard Mai say.  
    Turning around, she said, "You-"  Mai was holding a camcorder at an up angle.  "What are you doing," she said slowly.    
    "Reality shows.  What do you think of them."  
    Glaring at the red light over the lens, she said, "Some... of them are ok.  I prefer to watch a series...  Why are you recording me?"  
    "I haven't recorded in a while.  So, what do you think about foreign reality shows?"  She flipped the side screen and looked at it.    
    "Why?"  
    "Why you being so difficult?  This is important.  I need it for my Submission Video."  
    That didn't make sense.  Shouldn't a Submission Video only contain the person submitting it?  Wearily, she said, "I've... never watched a foreign reality show.  I mean, I knew they existed.  Of course they do, but..."  She shrugged.  "...I've never given it much thought."  
    "Actually, no thought.  Reading Subtitles is annoying."  
    Mai nodded and said, "That's understandable.  So, watching one would be a new and interesting experience for you, right?"  
  "I... guess."  She scratched a place on her arm and turned to face the sink.  Peeking sunlight through the blinds drew her attention to her mug.  Washing it, she heard Mai say, "What if you were to participate on one?"  She paused.    
    The water in her mug grew as she considered the question.  "Do you mean a reality show or a foreign one?"  
    "A foreign one."    
    "Um..."  Faces of Asian people flitted through her mind.  Traditional floral patterned clothing in bold reds, blues and pinks flowed like a silken poem.  She heard the clack of tradition wooden shoes and saw a plathura of chopsticks.  She thought of raven black hair, oval eyes and China Doll complexions.    
    Asian culture was appealing.  A stab of sunlight to her eyes brought her back to reality.  She blinked and saw spots in her vision.  Cool water reminded her what she'd been doing.  The sink handle weezed as she pushed it down.  After dumping her mug out she put it in the dish drainer, and used the kitchen towel to dry her hands off.    
    She faced Mai and said, "Why?"  
    "Wouldn't it be cool to go somewhere new, meet new people, get to experience a new culture?"  
    "I've thought about it before, but there's that language thing.  You know, the fact that I only know English.  I just don't see that working out well for me."  She snorted and and went around her to sit at the table.  Her laptop seemed to mock her.    
    The urge to grab it was annoying.  When she'd considered buying a laptop she'd wanted a white one.  Ordering online was a gamble.  Funds determined what you got and she'd ended up with a wide screened, dark gray one.  Her annoyance had disappeared as soon as she'd felt it, and over time she'd come to the conclusion that her laptop was functional.    
    And that was the important thing.  
    Mai went to the other side of the table and said, "But you could always learn a new language.  Wouldn't that be cool?"  
    "If I wanted to know a new language I'd get you to teach me."      
    "Oh, you're such a spoil sport.  You say that, but if you had a chance you'd go with it."    
    She made a face at her, glanced at her computer, and then back at her.  "Have I told you yet that you're annoying?"    
    Turning the camera her  own way, Mai said, "And there you have it.  The honest perspective of a person whose never had the opportunity to experience a different culture, and isn't that the point here?  To give a person of another culture the chance to exchange cultures, and that includes languages.  Isn't it more important to teach people who don't realize how limited intercultural interaction is?  I'm best friend and China born, and in America you rarely see Asian people at all."  
    "It's sad.  So, I ask for this chance.  Please choose this video for the betterment of cultural exchange.  This is Mai Fong sighing off.  Goodbye."    
    She tapped a button and the red light disappeared.  
    Melina eyed her  critically and said, "That... is the best English I've heard you use, ever.  I now know that you're just too lazy to finish your sentences.  Ooooo."  
    She shrugged and said, "You don't hear me denying it."  
    "Judging yooou."    
    "Judge away."  She stuck her tongue out.

**:/**

    Two months later, Tao followed directions to the building Liang worked at.  It was a wide, multi-floored brick building full of large windows.  Two sets of concrete steps led to four sets of double glass doors.  He checked the address on his phone and the numbers over them matched.  Sliding his phone back in his pocket he went inside.    
    White assaulted him:  The tables, the walls, the polished floors.  All visible offices were enclosed in glass, and even the doors were made of it.  Any real color popped out at him.  The dark blue carpet in the open work stations.  The black picture frames on the walls, and the red art inside.    
    He could hear the clack of computer keys, the thunderous echoes of high heels and padded footfalls on hard floor, phones ringing, people talking.  It was busy, but he saw a lot of smiles.  He could sense the energy of fun.  The employees here obviously loved what they did.  It made him relax.  Liang had told him the level of work they did and he'd expected full on corporate attire.    
    What he saw were T-shirts, baggy jeans with hanging wallet chains, backward caps, and spiked jewelry.  There, however, were numerous people wearing casual business clothes:  skirts, pressed Khakis, and polished dress shoes.  The apprehension  he'd been feeling dropped significantly.  A new project made him anxious, but once he settled in he was good.  He had a feeling he'd settle in more quickly this time.  Smiling, he tromped down the hard floor stairs and pulled his phone back out.  Liang had texted him impressively detailed notes on how to get to his office.    
    Go down the right hallway, up a flight of curved stairs, down a single direction hallway, go left, you'll pass two drinking fountains, keep going, take the elevator up a floor...  He huffed and said, "Why couldn't I have taken the elevator on the bottom floor?"  "...and there'll be a hallway going both ways, go right this time, you'll pass two offices, go to the wall at the end, around the offices, down a small hallway to the left (it's the only hallway) and the walls become dark brown, and his office was the second door on the left.  He faked cried when he got to it, praying he'd gone the right way.  He hesitantly knocked.    
    The door opened and Liang had a cellphone pressed to his ear.  Hugging him, he faked cried some more.  "I'm so happy to see you."  
    Patting his back he let out a little laugh.  "I'll call you back," he said.  Tao heard the thump of his cellphone close.  "Did you have trouble getting here?"  
    He pulled back and looked at him like he'd lost his mind.  "I felt like I was going to die before I got here."  
    "Don't be so dramatic.  Come, take a seat."  
    His office was black with a cream colored carpet.  The cherry wood desk was covered in large papers.  Tao pulled back one of the leather chairs and sat down.  "What are you working on," he asked.  
    Liang took his seat and the papers crinkled as he began to stack them.  "It's about the Logo and other media that's going to be presented, before and after the show hosts."  
    "Ugh.  You mean that horrible bright red and yellow one in the folder you gave me?"  
    He laughed and said, "Yes.  I told them they needed something more soft.  Less... painful."  He laughed again and tapped the stack to be even.  Setting them aside he said, "So, like I said before."  
    "Once we posted you as the Idol face the Submission's shot up to the thousands, in the double digits.  Congratulations."  
    Tao clapped and leaned back in his chair.  "I'm so excited.  So, when do I get to watch them?"  
    "The Managers are eliminating the unacceptable ones.  The Media team are still compiling a list of acceptable ones.  There are plenty for you to go through and you can start now.  Follow me."  He stood up and Tao sprang out of his seat.    
    Half way into the direction he'd come he said, "Gege, why couldn't you have just met me in the Lobby?"  
    Over his shoulder, he said, "You needed to see my office.  In case you needed to get there some other time."  
    "You just wanted to torture me."  
    "Yet again with the dramatics."  
    Sulking, he entered the elevator and Liang pressed the down button.  They entered the Lobby and Tao was once again assaulted with white.  He blinked rapidly and followed Liang past the offices and to a mostly dark opened room.  An oval table took up most of it.  The walls were made of cheap wood, or something which gave the illusion of wood.  He was surprised when light flooded the area.  
    He blinked a few times and looked up.  The ceiling was covered with circular internal lights and he smiled.  It was kind of SciFi like, but had an elegance to it.  Pointing at them, he said, "Those are cool."    
    Liang was turned away from him.  High cubbie's were connected to the wall and he reached in to the middle one.  Tao's eyes widened when he brought out the biggest laptop he'd ever seen.  Including the keys it was all white.  Liang leaned over him and used a wireless mouse to pull up a long square.    
    The pass code he entered was hidden with black dots.  The screen blinked and a blue page appeared.  On the left hand side were numbered Files.    "Now, these are the videos so far.  There are a few hundred, so... have fun."    
    He stepped back and motioned for Tao to take the mouse.  When you're done or want to take a break just exit the screen and it'll automatically sign out.  Put the laptop back where it was and call me.  I'll show you the Dining Hall and Break Room.  Ok?"  
    "Ok.  Thank you."  He patted him on the shoulder and left.  Tao clicked on the the first File.    
    It was a young woman of color.  The bottom of her hair was curly and the top was two neat balls on both sides.  A red diamond was between her brows and a golden hoop in her right nostril.  Her eyes were lined in light purple and she was wearing dark brown gloss.  Her teeth were long and they enhanced her smile.    
    When she started speaking a black line with white Subtitles appeared.  He'd forgotten that he wouldn't be able to understand anything and was grateful for them.  She stated her name and why she should be chosen.  Eva Campbell, twenty-seven, American, a Journalist Major, and she wanted to write articles on her experience.  She had knowledge on other cultures and besides English, she spoke:  A little Japanese, a little Portuguese and a lot of French.    
    Her calm demeanor and enthusiasm was soothing.  He needed to make a Potential's List.  He looked around and found a pink notepad and black inked pen.  She went down.  After three videos he only watched a minute of each one and added them to the list.    
    After twenty videos he'd only chosen three.  His shoulders were aching and his legs felt stiff.  After returning the laptop, he tore the list out of the notepad and put in his pocket.  He called Liang and he led him through the Lobby.  Past the stairs was a doorless entrance and it opened in to a large white room.    
    It appeared to be a Reception Room - the Reception Room.  "Gege, why didn't I come through this area instead of back there?"  
    He spun around so fast Tao almost ran in to him.  Patting his pockets, he said, "I almost forgot.  You're a V.I.P.  I..."  After check his pockets he said, "I have a Pass for you.  I must have forgotten it in my office.  After you... take your break I'll give it to you."    
    V.I.P?  Because he had his own company he was the Star or Head of everything that happened, but he'd never been considered a V.I.P, or had someone call him that.  "Awesome.  Ok."    
    Nodding, Liang turned around.  He led him passed the Reception Desk and down a wide, also white, hallway.  He was going to be blind by the time he went home.  The Break Room was enclosed in glass and had cushioned chairs all around.  There were side tables for books or magazines.    
    It was designed for comfort.  The Dining Hall was huge.  The Buffet had real bowls, glasses, and trays to carry them on.  "I think I'm going to eat," he said.  Liang reminded him to pick up his Pass and left.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any support. Kudos, Subscriptions, and Comments. Enjoy.


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